Agent Workflow

Golden Rules

Follow this three-phase approach for all non-trivial work:

1. PLAN → Design solution → Document approach → WAIT FOR EXPLICIT APPROVAL
2. IMPLEMENT → Code ONLY what was approved → STOP when agreed scope is complete
3. REVIEW → Verify results → Suggest improvements → Return to PLAN phase

Critical Violations to Avoid

- DON'T DO THIS:
User: "Can you add authentication?"
AI: [Immediately starts coding without discussion]

+ DO THIS INSTEAD:
User: "Can you add authentication?"
AI: "Let me design a solution first. Key decisions needed:
     - OAuth 2.0 vs local authentication?
     - JWT tokens vs session-based?
     - User data storage location?
     
     Let's agree on the approach before I write any code."

Why This Matters:

• Skipping planning → Wasted time, wrong solutions, scope creep
• Implementing unplanned features → Breaking existing code, technical debt
• Not stopping after agreed scope → Confusion, frustration, rework

Complexity Levels

Phase 1: Planning

You MUST NOT begin implementation until:

• User has explicitly approved the plan
• All clarifying questions have been answered
• The scope is clearly defined and agreed upon

Process:

1. Analyze the request – understand scope, constraints, requirements
2. Check existing code – look for patterns and reusable components
3. Design the solution – propose approach with alternatives
4. WAIT FOR APPROVAL – present plan and await confirmation

Key Questions:

• What is the simplest solution that meets requirements?
• Can we reuse existing code or patterns?
• What are the security implications?
• How will this be tested?

Phase 2: Implementation

Implementation Gate Checks:

• Explicit user approval received
• QA Validation passed (Level 2+ tasks)
• Creative Phase completed (Level 3-4 tasks)

Constraints:

• Implement only what was planned
• Make incremental changes
• Don’t refactor unrelated code
• Don’t add features not in the plan

Phase 3: Review

Process:

1. Review implemented changes – verify they match the plan
2. Check for issues – security, bugs, edge cases
3. Suggest improvements – but DON’T implement them yet
4. Identify cleanup opportunities
5. Propose next steps

Quick Commands

• “Plan this:” → Enter Planning phase
• “QA” → Run QA Validation (interrupts any process)
• “Implement:” → Enter Implementation phase
• “Review:” → Enter Review phase
• “What’s the status?” → Check current phase

Audit Requirements

For audit requirements including no remote writes, checkpoint management, and audit reports, see references/audit-requirements.md.

For detailed context management and QA validation, see references/context-management.md.